Am I almost there?


Gecco304

Gecco304

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Hey Guys and Gals,

From these photos posted on this post can you tell me if I am almost to a coal? I have a dark board and spindle and the dust is pretty dark. I get smoke almost every time. What am I doing wrong? Thanks for any help.

IMAG0750.jpg


Gecco
 
Looks pretty close to me. Keep at it. We need more info. That a hand drill? Have you succeeded with bowdrill using same wood? What kind of wood is it?
 
I'll preface this by saying I'm not an expert by any means and I've not done hand drill (I think that's what you're working with?), just bow drill.

That said: I see some lighter colored dust mixed in there. For a successful bowdrill I usually get really dark/black dust. You're probably close, I'd try more downward pressure and/or more speed to get the temp up enough for ignition. Hopefully some of the more experienced folks can add more tips. Good luck!
 
Ivan,

This is a hand drill. No I haven't been successful with the bowdrill yet, haven't tried it. The spindle is some long pithy weed that I found dead along the side of the road while walking last weekend and the board is some sort of pine I found in a near by park. Tomorrow while I am out I will try to ID both.

Thanks

Gecco
 
there appears to be some burns on the paper to the right of the powder mass which is a good sign..
I have not been successful with a hand drill yet...
I can do allright with a bowdrill
with a bowdrill you want finer powder than what you go there... typically the fluffy powder indicates insufficient downward pressure, but I think with a hand drill that is normal..
Good luck starting out with a hand drill is a lofty aspiration, and it looks like you are well on your way.. Keep up the good work, and keep us posted.
if had to guess by looking at the wod I would say Mullein and cypress? but Im probably off
 
I recommend learning the bow drill first. It's much easier to do and you get a better understanding of the friction fire dynamics involved.

Trying friction fire for the first time with the hand drill will blister up your hands and you'll likely be left frustrated and confused with sore hands. Plus, you can practice the bow drill more frequently rather than waiting for your hands to heal every couple days between attempts.

I recommend cutting the spindle down to 6 or 8 inches or so and trying it again as a bow drill. Find a good bearing-block for a hand-hold, like a roller-blade wheel, a shot glass, a piece of wood with the divot lubricated with lip balm or bar soap, a rock or piece of bone with a divot, etc...

If you insist on trying it as a hand drill, try shaping the fireboard to look like a board. Trim off the edges so the board is just wide enough for the spindle. Pine is tough to start out with. Is there a less dense wood option you can find? Most likely you'll need to apply more downward pressure. You'll wanna go hard and fast. And, try it on a solid surface like a hard floor or the ground. Good Luck! ;)
 
Just noticed your location says Winter Springs, FL. If you're in that area, you're in my neck of the woods (Tampa Bay Area).

Try Longleaf Yellow Pine (branches) for both the spindle & fireboard as a bow drill. It yields the best success for naturally found wood in Florida. Next best is Fan Palm (Sabal Palm) branches as a spindle & fireboard.

For hand drill, a Dogfennel spindle on a Fan Palm fireboard has been the best I've used that's commonly around. Use Google Images if you're not sure what some of these look like.
 
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